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Is your bodyweight more than 20% than it should be? Is your Body Mass Index (BMI) ranging from 25 to 29.9 or is it 30 and above? If so, then you are suffering from obesity. Obesity is a health problem characterized by saturation of glucose stores in such a way that the extra sugar taken accumulates in the blood. Obesity is an epidemic that has hit several countries in the world including the United States. Every year new cases of obesity among people and children are registered.

As mentioned earlier obesity is a problem related to health. It is a precursor ‘substance’ of multiple human diseases and disorders. An obese person is at a very high risk of diabetes type 2 due to high levels of blood glucose. Besides, he or she is vulnerable to high blood pressure as well as cardiovascular diseases. How is this possible? It is possible because the high concentration of solute in the blood makes the body cells loose water or fluid into the blood due to high osmotic pressure. The blood volume is directly affected; it increases above the normal capacity leading to cardiac congestion. While the blood volume increases, the lumen of the blood vessels remains the same. Blood is pumped at a much higher force therefore causing hypertension.

Another disease related to obesity is hypoxia, this is a condition whereby the entire body is deprived of oxygen, it occurs as a result of glycosylation process where blood glucose combines with hemoglobin a compound responsible for oxygen transportation. A molecule known as hemoglobin A1c is formed that cannot transport oxygen. The effects of hypoxia are indisputable, it kills the body cells and amputation of organs such as arms and legs becomes obvious. On the contrary, glucose in blood can combine with rhodopsin a sight pigment destroying it leading to impaired vision and in severe cases blindness.

The long term effects of obesity are fatal. As life is worth living and fighting for, in case of obesity one has to indulge in treatment which involves obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight. Loosing just about 5% of the weight is a tremendous progress in health. This begins with a slight drop in weight which is achieved by physical exercises, modification of diet, consuming vitamins on a daily basis and drinking a lot of water.